PHALANX - The series
Episode seventeen: strange encounter, part four
Three more weeks had passed since the events with the Gua'ould. BorgFred was more and more the Frederic he used to be, while Frederic himself learned more about himself in the process. Knowing how BorgFred acted, and how he reacted to his actions, allowed him a deeper understanding of his own mind, his actions, and his fears.
In dealing with BorgFred, helping him cope, he had learned to cope with his actions and fears himself, making him stronger, and more resilient. Daphnix, on the other hand, just listened to BorgFred's story, listening with an almost inhuman impassiveness, filing away the actions BorgFred had undertaken for later use. One never knew when something drastic needed to be done.
"So, what's on the schedule for today?" BorgFred asked. It was early, and the three had just finished breakfast. Jennifer was, as usual, still fast asleep.
"Nothing much. For the last couple of weeks, we've been working intensively. I think we all need a break," Frederic said, looking at Daphnix, to see whether his friend would agree. Daphnix nodded.
"I think that's a good idea. Some fun and games are just what we need," he said.
BorgFred nodded. "Whatever you say. So, what shall we do?"
"I don't know," Frederic said. "Just something to relax. How about some Velocity?" Frederic and Jennifer had developed a strong liking for the game they had downloaded from Voyager's database. It was a game that required both skill, and reflexes.
"Velocity?" BorgFred asked. He had never met Voyager, and therefore, never learned the game.
"It's great fun," Frederic began. "Come on, I'll show you."
All three of them walked to the holodeck. Frederic asked for a Velocity room, and got his wish.
A shining disk appeared in mid-air, and Frederic called a halt. The disk froze. "The objective is simple. You shoot the disk with your phaser, trying to make it hit your opponent, who, in his turn, fires at it, trying to make it hit you. Normally, a match consists of ten games. He who has the most points after ten games, wins."
"Sounds easy enough," BorgFred said. "I think I'll like this."
Frederic nodded. "Linda, I'm blue, and Fred is red. Random start order. Begin countdown,"
3...2...1...BEGIN!
He shot the disk at the precisely correct angle, stopping the spin and the spiral, making it race toward BorgFred on a dead-run. BorgFred, not expecting Frederic to have this level of control over the disk, was hit right in the stomach. The holodeck safeties didn't allow him to be hurt, but the AI did note:
One point, Frederic. Frederic leads, one point to zero.
The two Phalanxes played for hours. Because BorgFred's implants increased his learning curve even more, he soon picked up, and was able to join Fred at the second level. The game wasn't designed this way, but both Frederic and Jennifer had decided not long after they started playing that the game's parameters were unsuited for them. So, they instituted a second level, increasing the disk's speed, and putting a 'random' factor into the disk's bouncing off the walls.
By three in the afternoon, both called it a day, Frederic having won with 25 games to BorgFred's 16.
"You know, you're the first to be able to keep up with me," Frederic said to his counterpart. "Even Jennifer can't keep up this level of activity without eating at regular intervals."
"I know," BorgFred said, "Because we're basically the same person, I guess we both have the same superhuman stamina of being a three-species Phalanx."
"Do you think that Jennifer would be able to keep this up if she were the Phalanx?" Frederic asked while they were walking to the bridge. BorgFred's nanoprobes had made sure he didn't sweat, and Frederic's powers had already removed sweat, and odors, from his body. Sometimes it was more efficient to do this instead of washing.
"Probably," BorgFred said, after giving it a long thought. "But I never saw her like that, and neither did you, I'm sure."
Frederic just shook his head. "You're right, I never did. I mean, I just left, with only a program to leave her a red rose every day I was gone, but that's it."
BorgFred grinned. "I know, I left the same program."
Frederic laughed, and looked at his counterpart. How he had evolved! Frederic could think of a time when this sort of conversation would have broken BorgFred down, reducing him to a sobbing mass, but here they were, talking about Jennifer like it was as normal as discussing the weather.
Well, it would have been, if there were a weather to discuss on board the Ortega. Both walked on, and entered the bridge. They found Daphnix sitting at one of the panels, obviously studying it with great interest.
"I was just about to call you two," Daphnix said, not looking up from the panel. "Take a look at this."
When the two Human, Oech-anya and Ketari Phalanxes approached, Daphnix moved out of the way.
"Universe 503," BorgFred read off the screen.
"Infested with vampires and demons," Frederic added.
"And in dire need of our assistance. It appears that there are only 4 Amazons left, and they're beaten up pretty bad," BorgFred continued.
"Yes, and the rest of the Human race is powerless," Frederic finished. "I think a ground-force is a good bet."
"I agree," BorgFred said, nodding his head in agreement. "At least this time, we're facing vampires. The undead won't cause me to break down. I hope," he added the last part in a soft voice. Frederic put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I'm sure they won't. The undead are nothing but monsters," he said, and turned to Daphnix.
"D, get our warrior outfits and our magical weaponry ready. We're going to war."
"AL, prepare for ground-based assault," BorgFred said in his implanted communicator. Normally, he would be able to just use the telepathic connection, but out of respect for his friends, he used the verbal mode.
Warship Daedalus and GAV loaded and ready.
"GAV?" Daphnix asked.
"Ground Assault Vehicle," BorgFred explained. "My version of the APV but armed to the teeth. It's made of Quadranium as well, and the nanoprobes, coupled to its inert healing ability, makes it virtually indestructible."
Daphnix whistled. Frederic just looked on, unimpressed. He knew a lot about BorgFred's technology, and he had already begun planning to incorporate some of the technology into his own.
"Alright," Daphnix said as he came back, bearing two packs. Frederic geared up along with Daphnix. Finally, after the two others were completely covered in armor, and mundane and mystical weaponry, BorgFred tapped his temple, creating the booster implant. BorgFred then ordered a one-liter bottle of drink, and three energizer tablets. Once those were created, he quickly gulped them down, and accessed his cranial implant. For normal changes, he could just access the cranial implant by himself, but to get ready for war, the booster would enable him to make the in-depth changes needed for fighting.
Once more, the fourth-generation battle-uniform covered BorgFred's body. He snapped the two freshly created loading bottles of drink into place, and tested his cloaking implant. His body disappeared. Not a second later, he was back.
A final gear-check later, the three people used the spatial relocator to get to the WS Ortega's loading bay, and entered the WS Daedalus. The GAV was sitting in the auxiliary compartment.
The WS Daedalus soon left the bay, crossed over, and burnt through the atmosphere at tremendous speeds. BorgFred's flying skills hadn't withered a bit during his revalidation.
"Location of the Amazons has been determined," BorgFred said, guiding the ship to the correct destination. "They're under attack by at least one hundred vamps. Get ready for combat."
"Ready," Frederic said, unsheathing his Swords, and getting into an attack position near the door.
"Ready," Daphnix said as well, unsheathing his own Sword, and getting into a backup position behind his friend.
"Ten seconds to go," BorgFred said, his voice coming through the ship's audio system, indication that he had now merged fully with the neural interface.
The door opened before the ship had come to a complete standstill. Frederic and Daphnix didn't hesitate for a moment, launching themselves from the still-moving ship, towards the vampires. The first dozen fell before they even realized a new threat had emerged.
Daphnix fell back as BorgFred literally flew through the vampire's ranks. Daphnix went over to the Amazons, helping them to a safe location. The four remaining Amazons were beaten up pretty bad, and he made sure they were receiving every bit of healing power he could spare as he guided them to a nearby safe location. They were not unconscious, and struggled against being lead away from battle. Daphnix convinced them easily that he was with the Phalanx, and that he wanted it this way.
The four girls looked at him, first as if he were a ghost, than as if he were nuts, but did as he asked anyway. Both Phalanxes were fighting with their back turned to the survivors, so they couldn't verify Daphnix's story that he was with the Phalanx, but the sight of the two literally ripping the vampires apart was evidence enough for them.
Frederic and BorgFred fought side-by-side, the vampires never knowing what hit them. Both Phalanxes were bringing out their full potentials, the Force included. Now the vampires were running, trying desperately to get away from the two forces of nature, sweeping away vampires as if they were nothing.
A small group of vampires had thrown a couple of their comrades at the two men, trying to buy the time necessary to get away.
Frederic ducked under the first, chopped of its head, jumped up, and continued to run towards the fleeing monsters. BorgFred's Dual Blade light saber had no trouble getting rid of the vampires either, as he chopped the second thrown vampire in half... vertically.
Less than ten minutes after the team had landed on the central European plains the vampires had been eradicated, and both Phalanxes calmed down from the war rush. BorgFred clipped the deactivated light saber back on his belt, while Frederic sheathed his two Swords.
Both ran over to the safe location, a couple of hundred meters back. As soon as they approached, the battle-weary and beaten-up Amazons struggled to their feet, and struggled over to the two Phalanxes.
"My Lord," Jennifer fell to her knees before Frederic. She was shaking, and was that a tear Frederic saw glistening in her beautiful blue eyes? The rest of the Amazons fell to their knees as well, most of them shaking, and fear and confusion danced across their faces. Frederic recognized Nancy, Blossom, and Nikki. His eyes settled back on Jennifer. She looked confused from one Phalanx to the other. "I do not understand," she managed to get out, her voice shaking, and yes, a tear falling down her cheek.
"We are not from your world, Jennifer," Frederic explained. "We are from worlds parallel to your own. When we saw the undead threat here, we decided to intervene."
"What happened here?" BorgFred asked.
"Please, we can explain better at our campsite," Jennifer said, hurriedly composing herself now. Whatever had happened here, the continued struggle had obviously changed Jennifer, along with the rest of the Amazons. They were...stronger, more in control of their emotions, able to hide them when the need arose. Jennifer was obviously the new leader, and Frederic thought briefly about what could have caused her to become leader. Sonya would have to be dead, and so would Tina...
Frederic nodded his consent with the suggestion, and asked for spatial relocation to the Amazon temporary campsite. He was briefly startled when the WS Daedalus was relocated as well, but decided not to comment on it. The Amazons were surprised, not having expected such technology.
"It all started some time ago... the Phalanx, you, were called, and you and your friend," Jennifer started telling, and presently looked at Daphnix, "came here, after Sonya had determined your worth. Not long after we...you and I..."
Frederic nodded. "I know. In my world, I'm married to you. My friend here was married to you as well, but an...unfortunate occurrence put an end to that."
Jennifer just nodded, and continued, obviously more put at ease now.
"So, I went back with you, and went to school. A couple of weeks later, we discovered the vampires. You started hunting them after they had killed Sonya, and your sister. I went along with you. And then Tina contacted us. The rest of the Amazons wanted to fight as well. For months, you, me, Daphnix, and the Amazons, fought the undead. We were loosing, our village was destroyed in the first few weeks, and the vampire's numbers were too great for us to hold out against. Then, one day, you... were killed. Daphnix was killed soon after, trying to get your body to safety. We managed to drive the vampires back long enough for us to get your bodies back, but..."
"Damn," Frederic muttered. "We died fighting vampires. Never got a chance to marry, to become immortal, or to get the Oech-anya and Ketari Phalanxhood."
BorgFred nodded. "We didn't die in vain. We died fighting vampires, and that was a good cause to die for."
Daphnix dipped his head in agreement. "And now, we're back, and we’re going to make them pay!"
"So, after you... died, I became an Amazon once more, and we fought to the best of our abilities. Tina died two months ago, and we're loosing badly," Jennifer concluded.
"Fear no more!" Frederic said. "We have been able to progress on our world, and we will teach you NEW ways to fight vampires, and give you new technologies to go along with it!"
"May I ask something?" Jennifer asked.
Frederic looked strangely at her. "Didn't the me on your world tell you that you can ask me anything?" He grinned at her.
"Where is your Jennifer?"
Frederic's mouth split into a grin. "She's pregnant, so she's safely on board my ship, sleeping."
Jennifer nodded, smiling herself. Knowing that someplace, out there, there was a Jennifer with a good life, a loving husband, and children on the way, made her feel a lot better.
Frederic and BorgFred gathered all the Amazons into a tight circle.
"First thing we'll do is a complete mental and physical make-over," Frederic explained. "In our two worlds, we are not only the Phalanx of the Human race, but of two other races, the Oech-anya and the Ketari. What we're going to do now is alter your bodies and minds to become what we know as Master Slayers. The original concept in Oech-anya, but we... expanded on it," Frederic said, grinning. BorgFred just nodded.
"Please, extend your hand to the center of the circle, and open your
minds," BorgFred said, extending his own hand, along with Frederic and
Daphnix. The Amazons followed suit, right after Jennifer had done what was
asked. It was very obvious that she was the leader, and not even the Phalanx
himself could take over the leadership role so fast.
BorgFred and Frederic let their powers loose on the Amazons. Their minds were strengthened, their bodies altered, their knowledge expanded. The two triple-Phalanxes enhanced the Amazon's intelligence, boosting them at least 50 to 60 points on the IQ scale. Their tactical abilities were blown up as well, along with their insight into war.
By the time they were done with them, the Amazons were no longer an amateur resistance force, but a professional army of vampire and demon hunters, trained, conditioned, hardened. The next thing the three friends did, was contact the WS Ortega, urging it to cross over. The PSS Ortega, with its precious cargo, remained behind, safe, in the uninhabited universe.
As soon as the WS Ortega had crossed over, BorgFred had it beam down 4 complete warrior-outfits. The 4 Amazons were equipped with a dual blade light saber, two quantum disruptor pistols each, enhanced wooden throwing knives, and armor second in strength only to the body armor BorgFred wore.
It had been two days since the three had landed on 503, and the three seasoned warriors lead the Amazons into battle for the first time.
A detachment of vampires, 500 in total, was feasting on Berlin. That was the target of the 7 warriors. The vampires had broken up into several large groups, of about 70 to 100 vampires each, and had gone their separate ways.
"No problem," Frederic had assured the 4 Amazons. The small band snuck from shadow to shadow, staying out of sight of the vampires. Even though Frederic, BorgFred, and Daphnix could cloak, the Amazons couldn't, and it would leave them too vulnerable. So, they snuck from shadow to shadow, using the same techniques guerilla forces have used for centuries.
Then, they came across the first group of undead beasts. A group of just over 80 vampires were having a party in one of the orphanages. The seven warriors felt their blood boil, and their eyes turn to ice in their sockets. Their powers flared to maximum, and in their current state, Frederic and BorgFred could take the 80+ vampires on their own. This time, they had five more people with them, and the vampires never knew what hit them. After determining that the hostages were kept in the basement, the other floors were cleaned with the quantum disruptor pistols, set to maximum disruption, full power.
Literally dozens of vampires fell in a single well-aimed shot. The only problem was the constant reloading of the fusion batteries. One such shot completely drained the battery, and only BorgFred could use his pistol regularly, due to the fact that he fueled his pistol on his body's reserves.
The last 5 vampires were dispatched by hand, the enraged warriors tearing into the undead vigorously after the bodies of the young victims had been discovered. The gruesome discovery, along with the decisive victory, caused the warriors to shed caution, and go after more of the foul beasts.
The next group they discovered was the main bulk of the vampire force, consisting of 150 vampires. Again, the pistols were emptied into the wriggling mass of undead bodies, causing 50% of the vampires to be destroyed before the battle had even begun.
BorgFred covered his friends with his pistols, while the 6 remaining warriors activated Swords and light sabers. Frederic could see the familiar light burn in Jennifer's eyes as she tore into the undead beasts that had caused so much trouble.
It took them one day to clear Berlin of the 500 vampires plaguing it. That evening, the seven warriors had amassed around the campfire. They talked about the events of the day.
"Now that is how slaying is supposed to be!" Jennifer shouted, the rest of the Amazons agreeing full-heartedly.
"Don't loose your heads, girls," Frederic cautioned them, after they had stopped cheering. "There are still thousands of them left, all across the world."
"For MONTHS we were pressed into the defensive, and now in one day, we have caused more death and destruction amongst the vampires than in all those months together!" Jennifer shouted.
Frederic laughed. "I know. I am just cautioning you to keep your head together while fighting. Don't get cocky."
Jennifer was euphoric, along with the rest of the Amazons. The rest of the evening was spent feasting around the campfire.
"Fred?" Jennifer walked up to BorgFred, who was staring into the flames of the campfire. The rest of the Amazons had gone to sleep, along with Frederic and Daphnix. BorgFred needed some time to clear his head. He held himself brave, not wanting to appear weak in front of his friends.
"Sure," he said, looking up at her. It took every bit of control not to jump up, and put his arms around her. He missed his Jennifer so much, and having this Jennifer around didn't help him. He had to constantly be aware that she wasn't his Jennifer. Frederic's Jennifer was pregnant, and her situation made it easier for him to keep his balance. This Jennifer, however, was exactly the way he remembered her, the moment she died. Mentally, maybe she was different, but physically, she was identical to his Jennifer.
If it just weren't for the empty and cold feeling on the other side of the link. He had learned to live with it, but situations like this didn't make it any easier. He had to restrain himself once more when she sat down next to him.
"Do you miss..." she began, stopping the moment she saw his expression change. She knew he missed his Jennifer as much as she missed her Frederic. "I know, I do, too," she said.
"It's so hard, and this... situation doesn't make it any easier," BorgFred said, his voice a tightly controlled whisper.
"I know," Jennifer said. "And I feel like I am betraying my Frederic."
BorgFred looked at her, startled, and realized what she was saying. He knew
instantly what she was talking about. He felt the same. He nodded. "I feel
like I'm betraying my wife as well," he said, sadness sounding into his
voice. An image of Jennifer spooked through his mind then. Her voice was weak,
her body, battered and dying. "If I don't make it. <cough> I want
you to live your life. Don't <cough> keep mourning <cough>. The
race needs you..."
"Her last words keep going through my head," he said, a tear sliding down his cheek. "She told me not to keep mourning, to live my life."
"Fred said the same thing," Jennifer whispered. A silence descended upon the two people.
Together, they stared into the flames. They didn't need to talk. In total silence, the two people saw the sun rise, and the camp came to life. Both composed themselves, and looked up as Frederic joined them not long after the first sunbeams caressed the plains they inhabited for the moment.
Frederic noticed that something was going on between his counterpart and Jennifer. He also knew that both had gone through similar hardships: loosing each other, war... he didn't want to contemplate it too much. Today would be another day of battle.
Two weeks had passed, and the 7 warriors were really going after the vampires.
From the hundreds of thousands that were here in the beginning, more than 1/4
had already been destroyed. Frederic noticed how the Amazons' confidence was
climbing, along with their abilities. Every passing day, the four Amazons'
abilities grew; expanding on the basics Frederic had taught them after he had
made them Master Slayers.
He noticed something else, too. He saw how his friend looked at Jennifer. He understood how the two warriors were drawn to each other, pulled closer because of the shared experiences. BorgFred had lost his wife, and it had nearly driven him insane. Jennifer had lost Frederic, and she never had the time to go insane, as she battled the vampires constantly.
Frederic didn't really know how to handle the situation, and he decided to let it play itself out. He would be there if they wanted to talk, he had told everyone that, but he wouldn't interfere. He knew, out of experience, that love couldn't be directed, or guided. Both had to follow their hearts, and trust their feelings. And that, according to Frederic, was where the problem lay.
He knew how much BorgFred had hurt, how close to insanity he had been, and Frederic also knew that BorgFred would have a hard time lowering his guards, allowing himself to love, to trust, once more. Frederic didn't know much about Jennifer, but if his own Jennifer was an indication, he understood how much she would have hurt inside, not letting it show, afraid to loose face with those she commanded into battle, into a loosing battle, every day.
BorgFred sat at the fire, staring into the colorful play of red and yellow tints. Every now and then, he would see a bluish line crossing the bottom of the dancing flames. His mind was at ease, looking into the swirling was of flames had a soothing effect on him. He had found this out the night he and Jennifer sat here, he sat in the exact same position, waiting the for the morning to come.
Jennifer joined him soon after the last Amazon had gone to sleep. She looked happy, more relaxed, now that they were finally making a difference. BorgFred looked up at her, and shot her a smile.
"Hello there," he said. "Have a seat." It was with a purpose he motioned to the exact spot she had occupied some time ago. She sat down, and stared into the flames. She had picked up on his intentions quite easily.
"It's been two weeks since we last sat here, waiting for the sunrise," she said, never taking her eyes of the flames.
"It has," BorgFred acknowledged. "To be honest, I actually missed it."
"I did to too," Jennifer said. "I needed some
time...to get things in order."
BorgFred nodded his head. He had been surprised when he and Jennifer had fallen back into the easy way they communicated without the link. BorgFred knew that Jennifer had never known the link, but for BorgFred, it had been the primary way of communicating for a long time. Jennifer knew how BorgFred felt by the simple nod of his head.
Subconsciously, they shifted positions. The two warriors, hardened in battles no one should ever fight, suffered from hardships no one should ever have to face, drew closer together, to the only one who had the slightest idea about what they had faced.
It was with a similar subconscious decision that Jennifer put her head on BorgFred's shoulder, and he put his arm around her shoulder. Slowly, oh so slowly, the gates opened. Jennifer and BorgFred instituted a telepathic bond, and with agonizing slowness, they allowed it to deepen.
The shields shimmered, then dropped. Both gasped at the whirlpool of conflicting emotions, thoughts, and ideas.
BorgFred told Jennifer all about what he had suffered, allowing her access to the deepest, darkest pits of his mind, pits he had thought he had filled. She found them with painful accuracy. They talked telepathically, Jennifer easing the pain etched into the very core of his soul. Finally, finally, the healing of BorgFred could end.
Just as she had done with him, he accessed her mind as she drew him in. with equal tenacity did he find her old wounds, scars from battles he knew she should never have faced alone.
Frederic awoke, and crawled out of his tent. What he saw brought his heart to a
standstill. He saw BorgFred and Jennifer sitting at the fire, their foreheads
brought together, sharing something that was very, very deep, and probably
equally painful. Both cried openly, looking as if they saw loved ones die.
As soon as the thought hit him, he knew what was happening, what wonder he was witnessing. Both were saying goodbye to their loved ones, finding the strength deep within themselves, and each other, to go on, face life, and actually build a future. Maybe together, maybe not, but at least they allowed themselves to do things besides taking it one day at a time, with little or no regards to the future.
Frederic turned around, and sent a message to the others, telling them to stay in their tents. What was happening out there was private, a moment of total vulnerability for two people who were accustomed to being so strong.
BorgFred opened his eyes for the first time in a long time, and looked directly
into Jennifer's. He had finally said good-bye. He felt... at peace. How
comforting, he thought. Peace. What a concept. Something he hadn't known since
Jennifer had died. He could feel again. Really feel. Everything that had
happened between then and now felt as if in a daze, a dream one is unable to
wake from. Now he was awake, and he felt relieved.
Jennifer felt the same way, the pits of hell she had buried long ago were now uncovered, and she and BorgFred had talked telepathically for a long, long, time. She had felt herself ease into the telepathic connection, had allowed herself to heal. She hadn't resisted as she felt the pain ease. The pain was still there, as she suspected it would always be, but instead of sharp knife-edged pain cutting deep into her soul, its edge had been dulled, didn't cut her anymore. She still felt it, but she could now at least face her pain, instead of burying it.
Both warriors looked relieved at one another, the need for words didn't exist. They had seen so much of each other that they could almost predict the other's reaction. It was similar to a prolonged mental lovemaking through the link. Both BorgFred and Jennifer knew that the other was grateful, and so there was no need to express themselves.
They both also knew that they were feeling again. Feelings they hadn't felt in a long time. Feelings that brought back memories, painful memories, but no longer hurting memories.
BorgFred closed his eyes as he eased towards Jennifer. She closed her eyes, and tilted her head slightly, allowing him to ease towards her.
A feeling like raw electricity shot through their bodies as BorgFred's lips met Jennifer's. She draped her arms around him, as he did the same with her. Neither felt the need to intensify the kiss as they held each other like that. The electric contact racing from their lips to their brains provided all the stimulation they needed. The telepathic connection had been broken, but BorgFred could swear he could hear her thoughts, and feel her emotions.
Jennifer felt the same way about him.
As they broke the kiss, both were crying once more. This time, they didn't share each other's pain, but they shared in the happiness of one another. They were... content, happy. Their lives had been so different, yes so similar. They had fought in so many different battles, yet the pains were the same. And now, they had found each other.
They looked around, and noticed that it was light for the first time. It took them mere moments to realize just how late it was as well. The mood was broken, and both hurried to bring the masks back up, but not before sharing one last, loving glance at each other.
BorgFred stepped towards Frederic's tent, who emerged from it as BorgFred approached. BorgFred, who realized that Frederic must have picked up on it, decided on the direct approach.
"Fred, I..."
Frederic cut him off with a hand motion. "Not necessary. It must have been difficult, and I am sure you will tell me all about it, when you're ready to."
BorgFred just nodded, and Frederic could detect the shimmer of tears in his counterpart's eyes. "Thank you," was all he managed.
Frederic shook his head again. "There is no need to. Now, are you ready for whatever's next?" he asked in a gentle tone. BorgFred bravely nodded.
"Lead, and I will follow," he said, quoting part of the ancient pledge.
"Isn't that supposed...?" Frederic began, and then waved it off. "Forget it. Now, let's get ready."
It was another four weeks before the team left. Frederic left daily to check up
on his Jennifer, to be there for her when she woke up for her daily one-hour
eating-and-drinking period, but the rest stayed behind, fighting the battle
with the Amazons. In those four weeks, the seven warriors put a full stop to
the vampires' progress, reversed it, and killed almost 150,000 vampires before
the beasts finally realized that their plot for world-domination had finally
ended. The battle had been fought, and casualties had fallen, but in the end,
good had triumphed over evil.
All that remained now was the clean-up job, the destruction of the estimated 50,000 more vampires that had fled under ground.
Frederic and Daphnix left, neither of them surprised at the announcement that BorgFred would stay behind. They had seen BorgFred's and Jennifer's relationship develop, not so smoothly in the beginning, but the love that was almost tangible between them had pulled them through the hard times. Both Frederic and Daphnix had wished them the bested of luck, and they had gotten a promise to be invited to the wedding party.
As Frederic and Daphnix crossed over, they thought back on the 6 weeks of almost continuous battle, thinking back of times that were less happy.